Could private equity firms buy Microsoft?

In the wake of the $33 billion buyout of hospital operator HCA, The Financial Times asks whether Microsoft could be acquired by private equity firms.

Dan Primack at Private Equity Week, however, thinks that’s hogwash saying that “Snakes on a Plane” has a better shot at winning the Oscar.

In addition to not having enough money, Primack writes that giant private equity firms such as KKR — backed heavily by the State of Washington — would not jeopardize relationships with their money sources.

“So imagine if KKR suddenly helped buy Microsoft and — as the FT suggests — lays off lots of workers, sells off/shuts down a few divisions and ignores the rest because it’s already gotten paid via dividend recaps? No elected official in Washington would ever again be able to justify an investment in KKR, nor any other firm that helped strip jobs from one of the state’s largest private employers. Might be a tough sell in other West Coast states as well (think Oregon and California).”